Monongalia County, West Virginia
Monongalia County, known locally as Mon County, is a county located in the State of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 96,189, making it the fourth-most populous county in West Virginia. Its county seat is at Morgantown. The county was founded in 1776.West Virginia Counties. Wvculture.org. Retrieved on 2013-07-24. Monongalia County is included in the Morgantown, WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the largest county in North-Central West Virginia. It is defined entirely as part of the Pittsburgh media market. History Monongalia County takes its name from the Monongahela River. The name Monongalia may be a misspelling of Monongahela. Alternatively, the conventional Latinate ending "-ia" (designating "land of..." or "country of..." — as in Arabia, Bolivia or Columbia) may have been added to Monongahela (i.e., "Land of the Monongahela"). Monongalia County was formed in 1776 when Virginia's remote District of West Augusta was divided into three counties: Ohio, Yohogania and Monongalia, all named for their most prominent rivers. Ohio County then encompassed most of the western region of the district bordering the Ohio River, including parts of what is now southwestern Pennsylvania. Yohogania County consisted of much of what is now southwestern Pennsylvania and the present counties of Hancock and the northern part of Brooke in West Virginia. Monongalia County also encompassed what are now the counties of Tucker, Randolph, Harrison and Barbour in north-central West Virginia, as well as parts of what are now Washington, Greene and Fayette Counties in Pennsylvania. In 1780, in his Notes on the State of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson gave the militia enrollment of what was then the vast Monongalia County at 1,000 troops. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.6%) is water. Rivers, streams, and lakes *Monongahela River *Cheat River *Deckers Creek *Cam Harker Spring *Cheat Lake *Dunkard Creek *Aarons Creek Major highways * Interstate 68 * Interstate 79 * U.S. Highway 19 * U.S. Highway 119 * West Virginia Route 7 * West Virginia Route 43 (Mon-Fayette Expressway) * West Virginia Route 100 * West Virginia Route 218 * West Virginia Route 705 Adjacent counties *Fayette County, Pennsylvania (northeast) *Greene County, Pennsylvania (north) *Marion County (south) *Preston County (east) *Taylor County (southeast) *Wetzel County (west) Demographics 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 }} As of the census of 2000, there were 81,866 people, 33,446 households, and 18,495 families residing in the county. The population density was 227 people per square mile (88/km²). There were 36,695 housing units at an average density of 102 per square mile (39/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.22% White, 3.38% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 2.45% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. 1.01% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 33,446 households out of which 24.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.80% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.70% were non-families. 31.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.91. In the county, the population was spread out with 18.20% under the age of 18, 23.40% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 20.00% from 45 to 64, and 10.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 101.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $28,625, and the median income for a family was $43,628. Males had a median income of $33,113 versus $23,828 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,106. About 11.30% of families and 22.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.90% of those under age 18 and 8.00% of those age 65 or over. Education The county's public schools are operated by Monongalia County Schools. The county is also home to West Virginia's largest university, West Virginia University, located in Morgantown. Communities Cities *Morgantown *Westover Towns *Blacksville *Granville *Star City Census-designated places *Brookhaven *Cassville *Cheat Lake Unincorporated communities This is a partial list of known unincorporated communities within Monongalia County. A complete listing is available here. See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Monongalia County, West Virginia *Snake Hill Wildlife Management Area *West Virginia University Other sources *Core, Earl Lemley, The Monongalia Story: A Bicentennial History, Vol. I: Prelude (1974), Parsons, W.Va.: McClain Printing Co. *Core, Earl Lemley, The Monongalia Story: A Bicentennial History, Vol. II: The Pioneers (1976), Parsons, W.Va.: McClain Printing Co. *Core, Earl Lemley, The Monongalia Story: A Bicentennial History, Vol. III: Discord (1979), Parsons, W.Va.: McClain Printing Co. *Core, Earl Lemley, The Monongalia Story: A Bicentennial History, Vol. IV: Industrialization (1984), Parsons, W.Va.: McClain Printing Co. *Core, Earl Lemley, The Monongalia Story: A Bicentennial History, Vol. V: Sophistication (1984), Parsons, W.Va.: McClain Printing Co. References External links * * Monongalia County History Category:Counties of West Virginia Category:Monongalia County, West Virginia Category:1776 establishments in the United States Category:Morgantown metropolitan area Category:Settlements established in 1776 Category:Counties of Appalachia